Saturday, March 3, 2012

It’s the last weekend of the ACC regular season so that means the final chapter of the 2012 Battle for Tobacco Road.

Meanwhile, the girls are battling it out down in Greensboro. Semi-finals are today - Georgia Tech vs N.C. State and #3 seeded Maryland vs. Miami. Maryland is the highest seeded team remaining in the tournament after #1 Duke and #2 Miami lost yesterday.

Duke's ACC fortunes surged when it went to Chapel Hill at the beginning of February. A 3-pointer by Austin Rivers at the buzzer completed a 10-point rally by the Blue Devils in the final 2 minutes, 30 seconds and sealed a surprising win.

Neither Duke nor UNC has lost since, setting the stage for tonight's game.

The Blue Devils made 14 3-pointers in that first game and could use a similar effort tonight. North Carolina's Tyler Zeller had a strong inside performance against the Plumlees, and Kendall Marshall had a decisive edge against Tyler Thornton in the first contest.

The area where Duke can feel most confident it has the edge is on the perimeter, and that is an advantage the Blue Devils will want to exploit.

In the aftermath of North Carolina's 85-84 loss against Duke on Feb. 8, Tar Heels senior Tyler Zeller went back home, tried to watch a movie but couldn't. He wound up sitting in a daze, staring. Kendall Marshall, the sophomore guard, stayed home for about a day and a half.

Two days after the defeat, North Carolina gathered to practice, and coach Roy Williams didn't have anything profound to say, Marshall said. There were no magic, soothing words - nothing to dull the pain the Tar Heels experienced when Duke's Austin Rivers made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give his team a memorable victory.

Still, Williams said, "I just challenged them. It's like I said at that game, they were not going to give a trophy. You know, and we were still going to play again the next day. And the sun was still going to come up.

At least if you are playing DIII Grinnell College it certainly seems that way...

Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College.

If you know what New England Congregationalists are, good for you.

Their basketball team is coached by Dave Arseneault who some call a “mad-scientist coach” as a result of some of his unusual ideas about Dr. Naismith’s game.

Like hockey, players are in the game in “shifts” for 35 second or until the next stoppage of play, and if you cross half court, you better be looking for a three point shot.

LENTSCH

“The System,” as Arseneault’s father dubbed it when he coached Grinnell, seems to work as Grinnell led DIII in scoring averaging (110.09 points per game) while also being #1 out of 405 schools in three-pointers made (18.4 per game), assists (20.3) and turnover margins (+12.2). It was the 17th time in the past 19 years the Pioneers led DIII in scoring.

But that’s not the fun part. Coach Areneault doesn’t scout the opposition and starts practice with each coach shooting 100 three-pointers. No practice is longer than 75 minutes.

Grinnell runs a full-court press on defense and after a made basket the point guard takes a running-start before he catches the in-bounds pass. The offense then has 12 seconds to engineer a shot.

A few days before this season’s opener against Princpia College he asked his team, “Why don’t we let Griffin (Lentsch) take all the shots?” The team said OK, and the 6’4” junior scored 89 points in a 145-97 win. Needless to say, it was a record -- that eclipsed the record 77 set by another Grinnell sharp-shooter.

Lentsch finished 27-of-55 from the field, including 15-of-33 from three-point land. The 15 treys rank ninth best in all of NCAA. He was also an amazing 20-of-22 from the free throw line, with the made number of free throws a Grinnell record.

Last year, the coach challenged his players to see if every one of them (there are 20 players on the roster) could make a shot from behind the arc. Nineteen of the guys did it during the 137-103 rout and the 20th player made one, but the shot was waved off due to an illegal screen. Areneault said, “I was so pissed at that official.”

Areneault suggests that the primary reason for the The System is that it hides the Pioneers dearth of talent saying, “After our first three players, nobody on our roster would play a minute in four years for one of the better schools in our conference.”

The Pioneers finished the season 18-6 when they were knocked out of the Midwest Conference tournament. In that game, they scored a season low 83 points (after scoring 125 or more six times this season) and made just 13 of 62 shots from behind the arc.

“When it works, it’s beautiful. When it doesn’t...it’s a long night,” said the “mad scientist” after the season-ending loss.

A runner takes a flight of hurdles at Newbury racecourse on March 03, 2012 in Newbury, England. (Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Nothing says 200 mph in an F1 car like a sea of fog...Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Red Bull Racing exits the pitlane in the morning fog during day two of Formula One winter testing at the Circuit de Catalunya on March 2, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. (Ker Robertson/Getty Images Europe)

Tawera Kerr-Barlow of the Chiefs dives over to score a try during the round two Super Rugby match between the Chiefs and the Blues at Waikato Stadium on March 2, 2012 in Hamilton, New Zealand. (Hannah Johnston/Getty Images AsiaPac)

In this Aug. 2, 2010 file photo, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks at a media conference at the New Orleans Saints training facility in Metairie, La. The NFL says that New Orleans Saints players maintained a bounty program over the last three seasons that targeted opponents with the intent to injure them. The league disclosed the findings of an investigation Friday, saying between 22 and 27 defensive players and at least one assistant coach were involved.

Ouch. Mario Mandzukic (L) of Wolfsburg is challenged by Ariel Borysiuk of Kaiserslautern during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Kaiserslautern and VfL Wolfsburg at Fritz-Walter-Stadion on March 3, 2012 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Of course, we’re diggin’ the lime green neon unis. (Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)

N.C. State forward Bonae Holston (22) slaps the ball away from Duke center Allison Vernerey (43) in the second half of play. The ninth-seeded Wolpack upset the top-seeded Blue Devils -- it was the first time a one-seed had ever lost it’s opening game in the ACC tournament. (Chuck Liddy/Raleigh News & Observer)

Friday, March 2, 2012

As the story goes, he needed a loan, so he walked into a bank in Manhattan down near Wall Street and asked for the loan officer.

He told the loan officer that he was going to Paris for an international redneck festival for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000. (No kidding, that’s exactly what he said.) And then he said he was not a depositor or a customer in any way of the bank.

Of course, the loan officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for

the loan, so Bubba hands over keys to a new Ferrari 599XX Evoluzione. The car was parked on the street in front of the bank. Our red neck friend readily produced the title and everything checked out. The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest, but, hey, somebody’s gotta fund all those year-end bonuses for the 1% ers.

Later, the bank's president and its officers all enjoyed agood laugh at the redneck from the south for using a $250,000 Ferrari ascollateral for a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrariinto the bank's private underground garage and parked it under the watchful eye of the bank’s security cameras and guards.

Two weeks later, the man returned, repaid the $5,000 and theinterest of $23.07.

The loan officer said, "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we area little puzzled."

"While you were away, we checked you out on Dunn & Bradstreet and found that you are a Distinguished Alumni of Clemson University, a highly sophisticated investor and multi-millionaire with real estate and financial interests all over the world. Your investments include a large number of wind turbines around Sweetwater, Texas and vast holdings in other industries. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"

The good 'ole boy replied, "Where else in New York Citycan I park my car for two weeks for only $23.07 and expect it to be there when I return?"

(*Editor's note: This lovely little anecdote was sent to us via Kendal Blaser, wife of ACC sports aficionado and dedicated T.A.H. reader Tom Blaser, the mother of one Clemson grad and LAX stud Sam and a current Clemson student and rugby stud Tyler, and the proprietor of the best body repair shop in town -- Blaser Physical Therapy.)

#22 FLORIDA STATE 63, #24 VIRGINIA 60 -- AP edited: For a team that has made a habit out of hitting game-winning three-pointers, this was a new one for No. 22 Florida State.

Like the buzzer-beating wins over Duke and Virginia Tech, FSU's victory ended the same way with a clutch long-range jumper. But on a night when the Seminoles (20-9, 11-4 ACC) were looking to avoid their first three-game conference losing streak since 2008, it wasn't Michael Snaer that took the final shot and Bernard James wasn't there to set a well-timed screen or celebrate with his teammates.

Instead, Ian Miller played the role of hero this time as his three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left gave the 'Noles their fourth-consecutive 20-win season and capped off an impressive comeback after it seemed like the garnet-and-gold colored wheels had fallen off following James' ejection.

The Wahoos squandered a 12 point lead with 4:33 left to play and a brilliant senior night-effort by ACC Player of the Year candidate Mike Scott. Scott played 38 minutes, scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Every time the Seminoles looked like toast, Miller came to their rescue. The sophomore from Charlotte, NC scored nine of his 18 points while FSU outscored Virginia 16-2 in the final four minutes.

SMITH (Mark Crammer/Anderson Independent-Mail/AP Photo)

CLEMSON 58, VIRGINIA TECH 56 -- AP edited: Clemson won its eighth straight Senior Night game on Thursday as the Tigers overcame an early 10-point deficit to knock off Virginia Tech in front of 8,735 fans at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Senior guard Tanner Smith made two free throws with 2:41 to play to give Clemson the two-point advantage, and the Tiger defense held Tech scoreless over that final stretch to secure the victory. The Tigers moved to 16-13 overall, 8-7 in the ACC with the win. The loss dropped Virginia Tech to 15-15, 4-11 in conference play.

Smith was Clemson's leading scorer with 14 points, and the Alpharetta, GA native also chipped in with six rebounds and four assists. Fellow senior Andre Young was also in double figures with 10 points, while junior Devin Booker scored 11 points off the bench. Milton Jennings had a game-high 12 rebounds as the Tigers out-rebounded the Hokies 36-30.

Clemson did not make a three-point basket for the first time since the dawn of time....OK, OK it was the first time since the game against in-state rival(?) Furman during the 2009-10 season, a stretch of 84 games. The Tigers shot 44 percent from the field, despite being 0-for-10 from three-point range, compared to the Hokies' 43 percent.

Conversely, Virginia Tech was hot from behind the arc with an 8-for-16 clip on threes. Jarell Eddie led Virginia Tech with 15 points, while Cadarian Raines added 12.

Portland Pilots mascot Wally Pilot and the University of San Francisco Dons mascot The Don appear on the court during the team's game during the second round of the Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena March 1, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. San Francisco won 87-66.

Current Missouri coach and former Miami coach Fran Haith is still dodging NCAA bullets. Most recently, the Hurricanes Reggie Johnson was suspended for one game for an infraction committed by an assistant coach under Haith’s watch.

But it’s not all bad for Haith who went 129-101 in Coral Gables while leading the Canes to the Big Dance in 2008 and four NITs. His current Mizou squad is 26-4 and ranked #7 in the AP poll.

In addition, Haith is one of four finalist in the Infiniti Coache’s charity challenge. For six weeks, a group of coaches relied on fans to vote for thier favorite charity in four regions through February 27th. The coaches receiving the most votes in each region gain a spot in the finals, with the winning coach receiving $100,000 toward his charity.

Virginia honors their seniors prior to last night’s game at the John Paul Jones Arena. (VirginiaSports.com)

Julia Mancuso from the USA competes in the 1st run of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's giant slalom in Ofterschwang, southern Germany, on March2, 2012. (Thomas Kienzle /AFP/Getty Images)

Maxim Lapierre #40, Aaron Rome #29, and Chris Higgins #20 of the Vancouver Canucks mix it up after the whistle with Roman Polak #46, Chris Porter #32, and Scott Nichol#12 of the St. Louis Blues in NHL action on March, 1, 2012 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Derek Leung/Getty Images)

Chris Alcock of the Waratahs is tackled by Hugh Pyle of the Rebels during the round two Super Rugby match between the Rebels and the Waratahs at AAMI Park on March 2, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Jean-Eric Vergne of France and Scuderia Toro Rosso prepares to drive during day one of Formula One winter testing at the Circuit de Catalunya on March 1, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images Europe)

Mark Webber of Australia and Red Bull Racing drives during day one of Formula One winter testing at the Circuit de Catalunya on March 1, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images Europe)

Thursday, March 1, 2012

You can finally be like Mike by simply buying the greatest basketball player ever’s house.

Former North Carolina Tar Heel and NBA superstar Michael Jordan's longtime family home in Highland Park in Chicago is on the market, but it'll cost a bit more than the latest must-have pair of Air Jordans.

Oddly enough, it’s not $23 million -- it’s listed for $29 million.

The secluded compound, built in the mid-1990s and renovated in 2009, encompasses more than 56,000 square feet and includes nine bedrooms, 15 full baths, four half baths and five fireplaces spread between a main house and a connected guesthouse. The property also includes an indoor-outdoor entertaining and pool area, an outdoor tennis court, a putting green, a deep water pond and three climate-controlled garages that hold 15 cars.

Of course, there's also an attached indoor basketball complex. The facility, completed in 2001, has a full-size regulation basketball court with cushioned hardwood floors, adjustable backboards and baskets, and a sound system tuned to provide the right acoustics in the court space.

Take note though, property taxes on the home were $165,224 in 2010, according to public records. Not a misprint: That’s $165,224.

Jordan is apparently downsizing

Jordan lived in the home with his then-wife, Juanita, and their three children. The Jordans divorced in late 2006, after 17 years of marriage. Juanita Jordan bought a newly built, 23-room mansion in Chicago's River North neighborhood in mid-2007 for $4.7 million.

Former Monkees frontman and singer Davy Jones died yesterday at his Florida home of an apparent heart attack. Jones was 66.

Jones, an aspiring jockey as a youth and a racehorse trainer post-Monkees, spent several summers in Virginia as the celebrity spokesperson of sorts for Colonial Downs racetrack located in between Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia.

From 2001 to 2003, Jones appeared in all of the track’s radio and TV commercials while he raced a string of horses there.

According to Colonial Downs Marketing Director Darrell Woods, whenever Jones was in town to train his Thoroughbreds or to see them race, he would spend time with fans in the grandstand, sharing his passion for horse racing with many eager listeners.

#6 NORTH CAROLINA 88, MARYLAND 64 -- AP edited: Tyler Zeller stood at midcourt with his fellow seniors and gave a wave to a roaring crowd after their final home game at North Carolina. It was a chance to say goodbye -- and the moment the sixth-ranked Tar Heels could start thinking about Duke again.

Zeller had 30 points to help North Carolina beat Maryland on Wednesday night, setting up a matchup with the fourth-ranked Blue Devils to determine the ACC regular-season championship.

John Henson added 19 points for the Tar Heels (26-4, 13-2 ACC), who led all game to cap a 17-1 home record.

Zeller went just 5 for 12 from the field but finished with his best scoring performance in an ACC game thanks to the number of times he went to the free throw line. The 7-footer made 20 of 23 attempts, breaking Tyler Hansbrough's Smith Center record for made free throws in a game and finishing one shy of matching the program's and ACC's all-time mark.

North Carolina led by 11 points at halftime and blew the game open with a 16-0 run midway through the second half, pushing the margin to 31.

Nick Faust had a career-high 17 points for the Terrapins (16-13, 6-9), while ACC leading scorer Terrell Stoglin finished with 16 on 4-for-18 shooting.

"I thought Carolina was great, especially Zeller," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. "We couldn't guard him. All night he kept drawing fouls on us. He controlled the game at the foul line, I thought, and we didn't have a post guy who really took on the challenge all night with him."

(Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

North Carolina has won six straight games since the Blue Devils snapped the Tar Heels' school-record 31-game home winning streak on Feb. 8. That game that ended with freshman Austin Rivers burying a 3-pointer at the buzzer, capping Duke's comeback from 10 down in the final 2 1/2 minutes.

It was also one of the few dark moments for Zeller in a senior season that has made him a strong candidate for ACC player of the year. He missed two free throws in the final minute, accidentally tipped a rebound into the Duke basket and ended up defending Rivers after a switch before the final shot.

Duke and UNC entered the week tied atop the league standings. The Blue Devils won at Wake Forest on Tuesday night to take care of their part, then the Tar Heels did the same 24 hours later. The teams meet Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium.

BOSTON COLLEGE 56, GEORGIA TECH 52 -- AP edited: Matt Humphrey scored 13 points, Ryan Anderson had 10, and Boston College held off Georgia Tech despite nearly blowing a 17-point lead on Wednesday night, beating the Yellow Jackets for just its second win in 12 games.

Boston College (9-20, 4-11 ACC) climbed out of the conference cellar with the win and avoided matching a school-record for losses. The Eagles went 6-21 in 1998-99.

Daniel Miller paced Georgia Tech (10-19, 3-12) with 13 points and Kammeon Holsey had 12. The Yellow Jackets have lost 11 of their past 12.

Georgia Tech, which trailed 51-34 with just more than 11 minutes to play, cut the deficit to 54-52 with 2:21 left and had possession twice late but missed open jumpers. Jason Morris missed and the ball bounced out of bounds after a scramble, giving the Eagles possession with 32.3 seconds left.

LESLIE (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer)

Lonnie Jackson was fouled with 27 seconds left and hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to move Boston College ahead by four.

As it did for most of the game, Georgia Tech missed a handful of shots in the closing seconds. The Yellow Jackets shot just 38 percent (23 of 61).

N.C. STATE 77, MIAMI 73 -- AP edited: C.J. Leslie had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and North Carolina State withstood a late charge from Miami to beat the Hurricanes on Wednesday night.

Lorenzo Brown added 16 points and Scott Wood had 15 with five 3-pointers for the Wolfpack (19-11, 8-7 ACC).

They shot 50 percent (28 of 56) and kept Miami winless in Raleigh, while snapping a four-game losing streak and locking up their first .500 finish in league play since they were 10-6 in 2006. That was also the last time the Wolfpack made the NCAA tournament.

Rion Brown scored 15 points and Malcolm Grant added 14 for Miami (17-11, 8-7). Grant's 3-pointer -- with Lorenzo Brown's hand in his face -- tied it at 69 with 1:36 left. Wood countered with a 3 from the wing that restored the Wolfpack's three-point lead with 1:07 left.

WILLIAMS AND FAMILY (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer)

The Hurricanes twice made it a one-point game after that, the last time coming when Durand Scott's free throw made it 74-73 with 24.4 seconds left. Shane Larkin stole Brown's inbounds pass, but Scott missed a contested jumper in the lane and Richard Howell was fouled with 16.4 seconds left.

After Howell missed both free throws, Leslie chased down the rebound and Brown hit two foul shots with 12.6 seconds left to make it 76-73.

Miami had one last chance to force overtime but Grant's contested 3-pointer with about 5 seconds left bounced off the iron and Leslie hit a free throw with 3.1 seconds left to seal it.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my eye on (the record) throughout the entire year. One thing I've been thinking about a lot lately is I don't just want to be another player that played at Carolina. I don't want to be just another basketball player. I want to be legendary, I want to be remembered -- that's something that means a lot to me. I think this is a small way to be remembered. And I don't want to stop here. I want to continue to be able to help my team out. Hopefully the more wins we get, that's the easiest way to be remembered."

-- UNC sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall who passed the Tar Heels’ Ed Cota with his 285th assist this season when he found Harrison Barnes for jumper in the lane with 17:59 to play in last night’s game.

Correy Perry #10 of the Anaheim Ducks and Robyn Regehr #24 of the Buffalo Sabres fight in the closing minutes of the third period at Honda Center on February 29, 2012 in Anaheim, California. The Sabres defeated the Ducks 2-0. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

GOOOOAAAAAL! US forward Clint Dempsey celebrates after scoring during a friendly soccer match between Italy and USA, at the Genoa Luigi Ferraris stadium, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. It was the first time ever that a U.S. team defeated Italy and a rare victory over a soccer power for the Americans. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

N.C. State senior C.J. Williams (21) is hugged by his father, Wendell, as he comes off the court after the victory. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer)

Floyd Mayweather and (R) Miguel Cotto attend a press conference to promote their upcoming fight on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at the The Apollo Theater on February 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images North America)

Henry Frayne of Australia shows his ability to triple jump the length of more than two Formula 1 cars during a press conference at Albert Park on February 29, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. (Robert Prezioso/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Looks who part of the Linsanity. Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks by way of Georgia Tech and Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks celebrate during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on February 29, 2012 in New York City. Shumpert is averaging 10.7 points per game in his rookie season. (Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner of Australia takes a corner during the last day of a MotoGP pre-season testing session at the Sepang circuit outside Kuala Lumpur on March 1, 2012. MotoGP is switching this year to 1,000cc engines, from last year's 800cc bikes. (Mohd Rasfan/Topshots/AFP)

That’s a foul, unless it’s Duke and then it’s a charge...Just kidding, warming up for the big game on Saturday night. It’s actually Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers getting a facial against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty)

WHERE IN THE WORLD...?

The way it is...

The way it was...

TAH DAMN GOOD CAUSE OF THE MONTH

NORTHERN HAITI HOPE FOUNDATION: After our recent trip to Haiti, we vowed to do more to help. Clean water is a critical issue for all Haitians. It's particularly problematic for those in rural areas. For $2,000 to $5,000 we can build a new well in a rural village as part of a program facilitated by the St. Barthelemy School and the Warrenton, VA Rotary. Send your donation to Wells of Health and Hope, c/o GPetty-VTA, 38 Garrett Street, Warrenton, VA 20186 and keep your eye on T.A.H. for progress reports. Thanks! CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR MORE INFO.